The present invention is directed to bicycles and, more particularly, to a bicycle lighting apparatus that can mount a separate display.
Various components are mounted to bicycle handlebars in order to control the operation of the bicycle. Such components include brake levers, transmission control devices such as derailleur operating levers, and headlights for illuminating the road at night. Cycle computers and/or gear indicators also may be mounted to the handlebar in order to electronically control the bicycle transmission and/or to display operating and other information to the rider. A typical cycle computer and/or gear indicator usually comprises a bracket, wherein the bracket is adapted to be mounted to the bicycle handlebar, and a display that is detachably mounted to the bracket.
It is preferable that both the indicator and the headlight be mounted onto the central portion of the handlebar. By so doing, the rider may view the display simply by glancing down slightly while maintaining a forward facing position, and the headlight may illuminate the road directly in front of the rider. Unfortunately, it is difficult to mount both the display and the headlight in the central portion of the handlebar because of the limited space available at that location.
One method of mounting a headlight and a display together is disclosed in German Gebrauchsmusterschrift DE 201 19 499. In this method, a mounting bracket includes a carrier that may be mounted to the handlebar, two arms that extend forward and rearward from the carrier, and a device mounting part at the end of each arm. These device mounting parts are tubular shaped so that a headlight may be strapped to the forward device mounting part, and a cycle computer display may be strapped to the rearward mounting part. As a result, the headlight may illuminate the area directly in front of the bicycle, while the display faces rearwardly toward the rider.
While the above method allows a display and a headlight to be mounted together on the handlebar, the display and the headlight must be separately mounted to the device mounting parts, which can be a cumbersome operation. Also, because the entire structure comprises a number of individual components mounted together, the handlebar tends to have a crowded and cluttered appearance. Also, since the display faces rearwardly, the rider must look down at a significant angle in order to view the display, which can be uncomfortable.